“Knowing God” – Part 2

Good morning, saints. Glory to Jesus!

The Lord took me to a wonderful example of those who “know” God and those who don’t.

“For the ones being according to flesh think the things of flesh, but the ones according to the Spirit think the things of the Spirit.”

This passage is found in Romans 8, verses 5 through 14. First we can read it in the NKJV version:

Romans 8:5ff (NKJV)
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Notice the promises of God in the latter part of this passage:

1. If Christ is in you, the body is dead and the Spirit is LIFE
2. If the Spirit of Christ dwells in you, He will give LIFE to your mortal bodies through His Spirit
3. In Christ, our debt to serve the flesh has been cancelled, and the flesh no longer has power over us (unless we decide not to believe God about what He just promised)
4. The Spirit enables us to destroy the fleshly deeds of the Body. And in so doing we will have and experience (now) ETERNAL LIFE!

Below is a slightly different coloring of what the greek is saying (from the Apostolic Bible Polyglot):

Romans 8:5ff (ABP)
For the ones being according to flesh think the things of flesh, but the ones according to the Spirit think the things of the Spirit. For the thought of the flesh is death, but the thought of the Spirit is LIFE and PEACE. Because the thought of the flesh is hatred to God.

JUST AS JESUS SAID that eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3 – this is our first memory verse), Paul has said that to be spiritually minded is (eternal) life as well as a peace that transcends our understanding. Remember that the notion of knowing God involves how intimately we are knowing, thinking of, getting acquainted with God and His ways, His Kingdom, His Laws, His Son, etc.

The opposite of knowing God is what we find in Noah’s time as described as “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

And notice that:

1. God is “grieved in His heart” at those who are indulging in evil, fleshly thoughts. So we are grieving the Holy Spirit when we disobediently disregard the power He has given us to truly walk in NEWNESS of LIFE.
2. Our thoughts/minds are directly associated with our heart.( i.e., “that every intent of the thoughts of his heart”)

Are we setting our thoughts on the things of God today? Are we renewing our minds, our thinking, our thoughts? The first step to renewing our thinking is to repent of our agreement in our minds and opinions of things that are against the will of God but that the world and our flesh loves. We repent and ask God to cleanse our minds, our heart of the wickedness. Then, we go about filling our thinking with Him. His Word. Singing to Him. Reading and meditating on His Word. Going forward in faith (in belief) serving Him and His sons and daughters; serving in His Kingdom. No longer serving ourselves nor should be serve the world. We should be rescuing those in the world and delivering them from darkness to light.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Please remember to memorize John 17:3 at a minimum, and then go on to the other ones as you can. And please remember to seek the Lord and His Word for other examples of knowing and not knowing God.

Be found today “thinking the things of the Spirit!”

BELIEVE that God has raised you from the dead. BELIEVE He has given you the Spirit of Christ to allow you to think the things of the Spirit continually unlike how you have been thinking the things of the flesh and the world. And BELIEVE that Christ is IN YOU and you are no longer in debt to the flesh, but, like Christ, you too have been risen from the dead and can now walk in a resurrected LIFE!

With much love in Christ,

Brother Jeff

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“And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”  (1 John 2:25)